Rep. Dawnna Dukes
The race to replace longtime Austin state Rep. Dawnna Dukes got underway hours after her Monday morning announcement that she will resign effective Jan. 10.
First out of the gate was former Austin Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, who issued a statement saying she is “seriously considering running.”
Joe Deshotel, son of state Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, said it is more likely than not that he will join the race.
Travis County Democratic Party Chairman Vincent Harding said he will also consider running, once the Nov. 8 election is over.
Several others are considering running but haven’t made public statements about the race.
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Cole, an attorney, was the first African-American woman elected to the Austin City Council, serving from 2006 to 2015 before losing a bid for mayor in 2014.
“I would be grateful for the community’s support in this endeavor and I hope I am honored to serve this district,” she said. “I certainly want to thank Dawnna for her service.”
Deshotel, who is director of community engagement for RideAustin, said he is “most definitely, very, very strongly considering” a run.
“Truthfully, I’m hoping other people get in the race,” Deshotel said. “I don’t think a 20-year seat should be someone walking in without a challenger.”
Harding said he is focused on ensuring Democrats, including Dukes, win on Nov. 8 and will evaluate whether he should run after the election.
See here for the background. I feel confident saying we will hear from more people, most likely after the November election when we’ll be able to focus on anything after that. I can add that Joe Deshotel has been a contributor to the Burnt Orange Report; you can see all his writing on that site here. In the meantime, I think Harding has the right idea about this one. There will be plenty of time to focus on this election after we do what we need to do for the November election.